Dutch Citizen Indicted in Terrorism Conspiracy
Against Americans in Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. - An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen has been indicted by a grand jury
in Washington, D.C. for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to attack
Americans based in Iraq, Assistant Attorney Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal
Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein of the District of Columbia
announced today. These are the first U.S. criminal charges connected to
terrorist activities in Iraq.

The indictment charges Wesam Al Delaema, a/k/a Wesam Khalaf Chayed Delaeme, with
six counts: conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens abroad; conspiracy to use a weapon
of mass destruction (explosives); conspiracy to maliciously damage or destroy
U.S. government property by means of an explosive; possession of a destructive
device (explosives) during a crime of violence; conspiracy to possess a
destructive device (explosives) during a crime of violence; and teaching or
demonstrating the making or use of an explosive with the intent to further a
crime of violence. A criminal complaint had previously been filed against
Delaema on July 27, 2005, charging four of these offenses.

Delaema, 32, was born in Fallujah, Iraq. He was arrested by Dutch law
enforcement authorities on May 2, 2005 and was facing similar charges in that
country. Since his arrest, Dutch law enforcement and prosecution authorities
have worked cooperatively with the FBI in its investigation of Delaema’s
alleged terrorist activities. Following the filing of the U.S. criminal
complaint against Delaema in July, the United States informed the Dutch
authorities of its intention to request Delaema’s extradition to face the
charges filed here. Shortly thereafter, Dutch authorities announced that
Delaema had been transferred into extradition custody in response to the
request from the United States. The indictment returned today will now serve as
the charges for which the United States will seek Delaema’s extradition from the
Netherlands.

The indictment alleges that Delaema traveled from the Netherlands to Iraq in
October 2003 and met up with a group of co-conspirators calling themselves the
“Mujahideen from Fallujah,” who declared their intentions to kill Americans in
Iraq using explosives. The indictment further alleges that Delaema and his
co-conspirators hid explosives in a road in the area of Fallujah, Iraq.

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field
Office, with assistance from the Dutch National Police Agency, the National
Office of the Public Prosecutor in the Netherlands and the Office of
International Affairs in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of
Justice. The prosecutors handling the case are Justice Department Trial
Attorney Gregg N. Sofer of the Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S.
Attorney Gregg A. Maisel of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of
Columbia.

If convicted on the charges filed in the criminal indictment filed today,
Delaema faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant violated a criminal
law. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.